


No Plan or Road Map

by SadGelatin



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, POV Third Person, Road Trip, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-24 10:45:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17702888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadGelatin/pseuds/SadGelatin
Summary: He read out loud until he heard Tim's breathing even out and get deep with sleep. He glanced down to see that Tim had fallen asleep against him, his head a warm weight on his shoulder. Dick had turned down the radio so it was just white noise in the background. Damian could see his fingers tangled with Jason's around the gear shift. Damian was feeling tired as well and yawned as he began to read to himself instead. Slowly, he drifted off, allowing himself to lean towards Tim. As he was closing his eyes, he heard the radio click off.Dick thinks Damian needs to get out of Gotham after a break up, so they take a rather poorly planned trip, and Damian learns a thing or two from Tim.





	No Plan or Road Map

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AshlynRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshlynRose/gifts).



> underage warning, damian is sixteen.  
> strong language because i can't help myself.
> 
> this is a woefully late valentines gift, but my muses come and go. i hope it's satisfactory.

Outside of Gotham, on back roads where there were trees or fields instead of buildings, Damian found he could see the stars, which was something he had sorely missed in the city. He was in the front seat of Jason's 1996 GMC Suburban with the window rolled down, sitting at an odd angle, with his shoulder pressed up against the seat and his bare feet dangling out the window. Something by an 80's New Wave band played over the radio, connected to Tim's phone as the man drove. Jason and Dick were lying across the back seat, tangled up in each other, fast asleep, while Titus sat in the footwell below them.

Ahead of them, the open road stretched out for miles, the skyline dark and unbroken by buildings or traffic and spotted with a different kind of light. On either side of the road were trees that stood tall and isolated the highway, muting noise and the world beyond this particular stretch of road. Though Damian had been reluctant to go on this trip, he couldn't particularly regret it at the moment.

He looked back down at his phone and swiped to the next page of the book his was reading.

"Damian, get your feet back in the car, would you?" Tim suddenly spoke up, ruining the illusion of silence. Damian sighed softly and didn't even spare the man a glance.

"Nervous?" He asked in a cool tone.

"A little, yes." Tim replied, snapping just a little.

Damian flexed his toes and stretched his legs out, muscles in his back tensing, before he relaxed back against the chair and let his heels thump back against the side of the truck door, "We are on a two lane highway, Drake, nothing will happen."

"That's a very flimsy argument." Tim pointed out.

Damian chose not to answer him, shifting a bit and continuing to read his book. The song changed to something irritatingly campy and Damian looked over at the radio, "Change it. This is insufferable."

"What? No." Tim glared over at Damian, "This is Hall and Oates, they aren't insufferable. You're insufferable."

Damian arched an eyebrow, "I beg to differ."

"Look, if you don't like the music, put your earbuds in." Tim snapped, "You know the deal- Driver picks the music. And since you don't have a license, you definitely aren't picking the music." Damian glanced over and saw Tim's fingers tighten around the steering wheel.

"You are getting overly irritated." He said, shifting a bit and pulling his feet back into the car so that he could sit up, "Perhaps we should stop for coffee."

"Where are we going to stop for coffee, Damian, we're in the middle of nowhere." Tim gestured out his own window at the endless trees.

"Just take the next exit, Drake. The road does not go on forever." Damian kicked his feet up on the dashboard instead and crossed them at the ankle, toes pressing up against the glass of the front windshield.

"That's a great way to break your legs if we get into a wreck." Tim commented.

Damian held up his middle finger as he reclined his seat a little, "If you are tired enough to run us off the road, perhaps I should drive." He said. Titus's head appeared over the back of Damian's seat and the dog gave him a big, wet kiss on the cheek. Damian groaned and gently pushed at Titus, "Knock it off." Titus rested his head on the centre console instead and Damian scratched behind his ears. Titus whined. "Titus thinks that your music is terrible as well."

Tim sighed and switched the music to something less unbearable. "There. Happy?"

"No, but this is not nearly as bad."

Tim snorted out a soft laugh before they lapsed into silence. Damian continued to read his book while Tim focused on the road and Titus tried to crawl over the centre costume, only for his process to be halted about half way by Damian's arm.

"Tt. You are too big to come up to the front seat." Damian whispered, leaning down so that he was at eye level with the dog. Titus let out a loud breath and Damian rubbed the back of his neck while going back to his book, changing the page with one hand, and threading the fingers over his other hand through the coarse fur below Titus's collar. He could feel Tim's eyes on him.

"Pay attention to the road, Drake, or you will miss the exit." He didn't look up from his phone.

Tim was silent for a second before speaking, "Titus is distracting..." Damian glanced over at him and noticed how red Tim's face had gotten. He hid his smirk by looking down at the dog.

"Now who has flimsy arguments." Damian muttered, before moving his hand and gently pushing against Titus, "I know your spot has been taken, but you have to lie down on the floor. You cannot come up here." He said.

Titus whined again but cooperated and situated himself back in the footwell of the back seat. Damian dropped his hand down to rest against Titus's spine, continuing to pet him softly while he used his other hand to read.

"What are you doing on your phone?" Tim asked.

"Reading." Damian answered.

"What are you reading?"

Damian glared at Tim over the top of his phone, "A book."

"What book is it?"

"Is there a point to your questioning?" Damian snapped.

"Dick would be mad at me if you sat and read those texts during the entire trip." Tim said hesitantly.

Damian scoffed and looked back down at his phone, "I am not a masochist, Drake, I do not wish to dwell on the end of my relationship any further."

"Just making sure." Tim looked over at Damian briefly before returning his eyes to the road.

There was another silence, filled only by the music and mixed breath. Damian could feel it every time Tim stole glances at him.

He sighed, "The book I am reading is The Lost World." He used his thumb to swipe to the next page. In his peripheral, he saw Tim nod. Satisfied that Tim was appeased and wouldn't bother him further, he settled back to relax and focus on reading.

He was beginning to slip back into the story and lose track of time when he felt Tim's hand on his shoulder, jostling him gently. He took a moment to reconnect to the world and noticed that the car had stopped and the music was off.

"You should walk Titus while we're stopped, and I'm going to go get coffee. Do you want anything?" Tim asked.

Damian felt a little disoriented for some reason, like he had fallen asleep and was shaking the remnants of it from his mind. The parking lot they were in was empty, and Damian wondered if Tim had stopped anywhere that was open. But the small diner out in the middle of nowhere proclaimed that they were open, and that they had pie. Trees boarded the parking lot like they had the road behind them and the whole area felt a little disconnected from reality.

As Damian slid out of the car, all his muscles that had been folded into odd angles and stagnant for the entire car ride, protested greatly and he groaned. He slid his phone into the pocket of his thin jacket and shivered a little. It had been warm enough when they'd left Gotham, but the night brought with it the chill of a winter that wasn't quite gone yet, and Damian wished he had a sweater or something available, but he wasn't keen on rooting around through his bag at the moment.

He reached his arms up to stretch out his cramped muscles, then leaned from side to side, and then forward to touch his toes in order to try and work out some of the kinks that had formed in his spine from the inactivity and his odd position he'd been sitting in for several hours.

"This was a stupid idea." He announced as he retrieved his sneakers to put on. He sat down in the footwell and tugged each shoe on, forgoing socks all together, and then grabbed Titus' leash. "Being cooped up in a car for hours on end is no one's idea of fun."

"Tell that to Dick." On the other side of the car, Tim was performing similar stretches as Damian had just done. And he was, unfortunately, right. Tim wasn't the person to blame for this little excursion. It had been Dick's idea because he'd been concerned about Damian. Apparently Damian spending an entire day alone in his room until he were called for patrol was cause for concern. When Tim did it, nobody batted an eyelash, but god forbid Damian take a day to sulk by himself. Dick had acted like it was the end of the world. And then he had the bright idea that Damian needed to get out of Gotham for a bit and insisted that they go on a road trip. Cass had been smart enough to hide while Dick was getting everything ready, so she was back home, helping Bruce look after Gotham. While he was trapped. In a car. With Tim, Jason, and Dick. It was practically torture.

"Are we waking them up?" Damian asked, resting his hand on the car door, but hesitating to open it.

"We don't need to." Tim said, shaking his head.

"Maybe Dick or Jason should drive." Damian pressed.

"Really, I'll be fine driving until we find a hotel to crash at." Tim insisted, before stifling a yawn behind his hand that was wide enough to make his jaw pop audibly, and making his claim very unconvincing. He winced and rubbed at the hinge of his jaw, "I swear, I'm fine. I just need some coffee."

Damian shook his head and sighed, not really in the mood to argue with the other man. He yanked open the back door, and Titus was out of the car like a shot, nearly knocking Damian (who, at sixteen, had only grown to be about five feet and weighed about ten pounds less than Titus did) to the ground. Damian rebalanced himself using the door and shouted, "Titus! Heel!" The dog stopped and looked back at Damian before hanging his head and lumbering back to the car. Damian crouched to clip his leash on and rub behind his ears, "You cannot run around in the parking lot." He scolded quietly. Titus whined.

Behind him, in the car, he heard a thump and a groan. He looked back to see that Dick had fallen into the footwell of the car, and both he and Jason were awake now.

Jason levered himself up on his arms and looked down at Dick through his bicoloured fringe. "Graceful." He commented dryly.

Dick's reply was too muffled for Damian to hear.

"Now that you are awake," Damian stood up and picked up Titus's leash, "One of you can drive before Drake falls asleep at the wheel and kills us all." He paused, "Or worse, has too much coffee and kills us that way."

Dick had rolled onto his back and slid out of the footwell like he was melting. He landed in a crouch before slowly standing, his spine popping along the way. He groaned and stretched his arms above his head, his spine crackling more, and the soft blue fabric of his tee shirt riding up. Damian looked away as Jason's hand appeared on his exposed mid-drift.

"I'm sure that Timmy could drive all night if he had to." Jason said over Dick's soft, indignant squeak, and what was presumably the other man smacking Jason's grabby hands away from his bare skin.

"Well, if you all would like to die in a crash, be my guests. But if Tim is driving, I would rather find my way back to Gotham." Damian replied as he walked away, leading Titus towards the trees behind the diner. He didn't listen for whatever reply Dick or Jason had.

When they got past the trees, Damian let Titus off the leash again so that the dog could roam around and explore the surrounding area. He bounded off into the trees, and Damian tucked his hands in the pockets of his jacket before following him. It was late at night and the woods were alive with nocturnal creatures. Damian could hear the rustle of wings some way off, and the chirp of a cricket, and Titus snuffling around in the undergrowth.

Damian leaned against one of the trees and watched Titus's tail swishing, thinking absently that Titus would be a horrible hunting dog if he couldn't keep his tail still while he was out in the woods. "You are going to alert your prey that you are there." He informed the dog, and Titus looked at him and barked.

A rabbit shot out of a nearby bush and made a beeline for its burrow. Titus stared after it and then looked at Damian, wagging his tail. Damian snorted softly and shook his head, "Come on, time to go back to the car."

Titus returned to Damian and Damian clipped the leash back onto his collar before walking back towards the parking lot. He groaned once he was in sight of the car. Jason had Dick pressed up against the driver's side door and the two were locked at the lips. Damian looked around on the ground before picking up a small stone and chucking it at Jason. It deflected off the man's shoulder and he pulled away to glare at Damian.

"You are in a parking lot." Damian informed them, turning his nose up a little, "Could you not at least wait until we have found some sort of lodging."

Dick had the decency to look embarrassed, crossing his arms across his chest and casting his gaze to the ground, a blush colouring his cheeks.

Jason just looked smug, "You'll understand when you're older, baby bat."

"I am sixteen, Todd. I understand arousal perfectly fine." Damian said snippishly, "What I do not understand is why you feel the need to press Grayson up against every available flat surface and shove your tongue down his throat." He wrinkled his nose, "Do you not recall that Drake bought a spray bottle in case you two start acting like cats in heat again?"

"Oh, come on, we thought you guys were asleep." Jason argued. Dick's face went even more red and he cleared his throat. Jason huffed, but didn't relent, "Besides, you'll eventually find someone you like enough that you don't want to keep your hands off them." Jason gave Dick another kiss, much more chaste than before, then stepped away and leaned against the hood.

Damian shook his head as he yanked the door open to the back seat, "I find it unlikely that I will find myself incapable of controlling my sexual urges in public." He snapped, ushering Titus into the footwell again, "I am not an animal." He sneered at Jason before climbing into the back seat himself and sliding down so that he was behind the driver's side.

"Hey, I can control myself just fine." Jason argued, "I could go this whole trip without touching Dick."

Tim snickered as he returned to the car, "Sure."

"You're not going to." Dick said with a hint of a mock whine in his voice, "That'll ruin my vacation as much as it will yours." He paused and then sighed, "But Dami is right, Jay. We should keep it PG around the kiddos."

"I am sixteen!" Damian said at the same time Tim said, "I'm twenty, thanks."

Tim looked at Damian before continuing, "I'm almost old enough to drink, I'm not a kid anymore."

Damian bristled at the implication that he was a still a kid.

"Still a kiddo." He could hear the leer in Jason's voice.

"Not a kiddo." Tim got into the back seat and offered Damian a to-go mug and a cookie, "I didn't know if you wanted anything." He said, "But they had chai tea, and the cookie proclaims that it's vegan, so I got you one of each."

"Chai tea has milk." Damian pointed out.

"Soy milk." Tim almost smiled, but not quite.

Damian relaxed and took a sip from the tea, "Thank you." He muttered.

Damian settled against the door, placing his tea between his legs to hold it steady since there were no cup holders in the back. Tim slid over to the middle seat so that he could kick his feet up on the centre console, his own coffee going between his thigh and Damian's as he stretched out a little. Titus hopped up on the seat and sprawled across the entire back seat with his head on Damian's thigh. Tim grunted and wiggled a little, holding his coffee steady as he got comfortable beneath Titus's weight. Dick and Jason got into the driver's and passenger's seat respectively.

"How come we don't get any coffee, Timbers?" Dick asked, looking into the rear view mirror at the three of them piled into the back seat.

"Damian stayed up and kept me company while I was driving." Tim replied, sipping at his own coffee and smirking at Dick in the rear view.

Damian rolled his eyes and carefully began to unwrap the cookie that Tim had given him before pulling out his phone. He broke a piece off the cookie and popped it in his mouth as he pulled up a different book. Dick started playing something obnoxiously campy over the radio and Damian grimaced.

"If you're going to have your feet up, at least take your shoes off." Dick said, nudging Tim's feet with his elbow.

"Can't. Dog's in my lap." Tim said. Damian smacked his hand when he tried to steal a piece of the cookie and he huffed. He then tried to bend over the dog, but the position he was in made it impossible to reach his feet without displacing Titus. He thumped back against the seat and wiggled his feet, "Jaaaay. Will you take my shoes off for me?" He asked.

Jason let out a loud, put upon sigh and Tim continued to wiggle his feet. "Fuck. Fine, hold still." A minute later, both of Tim's shoes thumped down into the footwell behind the passenger's seat, joined promptly by Damian's.

"Do we have any particular destination?" Damian asked as Dick pulled out onto the road, leaning forward to peer over the other man's shoulder at the road.

"Nowhere in particular." When Dick shrugged his shoulders, they lifted Damian's head with the movement, "We're stopping at the next hotel, though."

"And how far away is that?" Damian asked.

Dick shrugged again, bobbing Damian's head. "Don't know. We're just following the road signs. Relax, we'll get there."

Damian huffed and leaned back into the seat, resettling against the door and beginning to read _H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Collection_.

He felt Tim glance over at him and heard him shift to peer at his phone screen, "What book are you reading now?" He asked softly, close to Damian's ear.

"The Nameless City." Damian answered, not looking away from the screen. He felt Tim shift even closer and then the man's head was resting against his shoulder. Damian tensed up.

"That sounds interesting." Tim took a sip from his coffee before resettling it between him and Damian, "Will you read to me?" His voice was getting softer. He sounded tired.

"What? No. Do not be ridiculous, Drake, you are not a child." Damian shoved lightly at Tim in an attempt to get him to stop leaning against his shoulder. The other man didn't budge.

"Please, Dami?" Tim gave Damian his best puppy dog eyes, "It'll help me fall asleep." He promised.

Damian stared defiantly at Tim for about thirty seconds before he groaned and all the tension promptly drained from his body, "Fine. I will read to you."

He moved into a more comfortable position with his feet braced against the back of the driver's seat, then cleared his throat before he started to read.

_"When I drew nigh the Nameless City I knew it was accursed. I was travelling in a parched and terrible valley under the moon, and afar I saw it protruding uncannily above the sands as parts of a corpse may protrude from an ill-made grave."_

He read out loud until he heard Tim's breathing even out and get deep with sleep. He glanced down to see that Tim had fallen asleep against him, his head a warm weight on his shoulder. Dick had turned down the radio so it was just white noise in the background. Damian could see his fingers tangled with Jason's around the gear shift. Damian was feeling tired as well and yawned as he began to read to himself instead. Slowly, he drifted off, allowing himself to lean towards Tim. As he was closing his eyes, he heard the radio click off.

When he woke up again, it was because he heard the car door close. He opened his eyes and took a moment to wake up. They were in another parking lot, and Dick and Jason were no longer in the car. Tim was asleep against his shoulder and the arm that was trapped between them was dead. Titus had eaten part of the cookie that he'd left unwrapped, but Damian wasn't too concerned about that because the cookie had been a sugar cookie.

Damian used the hand that wasn't asleep to push against Tim's face to try to get the other man off his shoulder, "Wake up, Drake." He said, his tone softer than he had intended it to be, "You are drooling on my shirt." He wasn't, but now that Damian was awake again, allowing Tim to sleep against him was unacceptable.

Tim blinked awake and peered up at Damian through his eyelashes, which did something weird to Damian's chest and made it hard to breathe for a second. He inhaled sharply and then glared down at Tim, "Move." That time, he was able to make his tone come out forceful.

Tim slowly sat up and groaned, "Where are we?" He muttered, not really sounding awake.

Damian caught the coffee that had been propped up between them before it fell and spilled over the seats, "At a hotel, I assume."

As he said it, the door was yanked open and Jason smirked down at them, "You two looked really comfy, Dick and I weren't gonna wake you." He said.

Damian suppressed the urge to growl at Jason and shoved him out of the way so that he could get out of the car. Dick was there, holding bags.

"We got a room." He announced cheerfully, "And we can bring Titus in."

Damian grabbed Titus's leash again and clicked his tongue, "Titus, heel." He called. Titus stretched out over the passenger's seat before crawling over Tim and jumping out of the car. Damian crouched down to clip his leash on and then stood up. He stretched his arms upward and yawned as his vertebrae popped, then dropped his arms back down to rub at his eyes.

"Awe, are you tired, baby bat?" Dick asked, and Damian could feel the man watching him fondly.

"I just woke up, Grayson." Damian snapped, "I am groggy." He knocked Dick's hand away when he reached to ruffle his hair. Dick simply chuckled, much to Damian's annoyance, so he brushed past him, leading Titus towards the hotel, "Which room."

"Three-oh-four." Dick told him before clearing his throat, "We only got one room, so you and Tim are going to have to share a bed."

"What? No. Absolutely not." Damian stopped and stared at Dick, "Get another room."

"No can do, Dami." Jason cut in before Dick could respond, "As much as Dick and I would love to have a room all to ourselves, they were all booked up." He put his hands on his hips.

"I am not sharing a bed with Drake." Damian argued, looking over to see if Tim had anything to say, but he didn't even seem to be hearing the conversation, staring blankly off into space and leaning against the car.

"You're gonna have to, unless we like, evict somebody from their room." Jason said.

"And that's mean." Dick added quickly, "We can't just kick somebody out of their hotel room."

"We absolutely can!" Damian snapped, "Have you forgotten who raised us?"

"Not happening." Jason clapped Damian roughly over the shoulder and gave him a push towards the hotel, "Now, get inside. End of discussion."

Damian growled under his breath and gave Titus's leash a little tug before leading him into the lobby to wait for his brothers by the elevators. Tim was shuffling along beside Dick like a zombie, and Damian almost laughed but he was in a bad mood.

Jason hit the elevator call button when he caught up with Damian and they waited for the cab to descend. Tim leaned against the wall of the elevator once they were all in, and Damian hit the button for the third floor.

"This place is clean, right?" Damian asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jason snickered, "No hotel is clean." He replied.

Damian wrinkled his nose and shrunk slightly away from the wall. Jason snickered and patted his head as he passed him to exit the elevator when the doors opened.

The rest of the way to the rooms, Damian remained silent. He let Titus off the leash as soon as they were inside, then made a beeline for the bedroom farthest from the door. He set his things down by the bed, sat down and removed his shoes, and tucked them beneath the side of the bed closer to the window, then walked back out into the main room. Jason grabbed Dick's things and went to set them down in the other room.

"Tim, maybe you should lie down, you look dead on your feet." Dick said, gently guiding Tim in the direction of the room that Damian had chosen.

Tim shook his head and pushed Dick away gently, "No, I'm fine. I'm awake now." He mumbled, not actually sounding all that awake or convincing.

Dick glared at Jason when he pushed Tim towards the bedroom more forcefully than necessary. Tim stumbled and caught himself using the wall, "Cut it out, Jason."

"You're about to collapse, Tim!" Dick threw his hands up, "At least sit down."

Tim glared at Dick before sighing, "Fine." He walked over to the desk in the main room and sat down before unpacking his laptop.

"You are not seriously considering working right now." Damian scoffed and walked over to where Tim was seated.

"Bruce could have sent something our way to look over." Tim replied as he opened his laptop and logged in. He clicked open his email and settling into his work focus before anyone could stop him.

Dick sighed and stared at Tim for a second before turning to Jason, "Jason and I are going out to go get food. Make sure Tim gets some rest." He said, heading towards the door.

"What? Why am I responsible for Drake if you are only going out to get food?" Damian protested, folding his arms over his chest.

"Because we might stop for drinks and spend some alone time together." Jason said with a leer, before pointing to Tim, "And that kid will work all night if he isn't stopped. Don't let him. Got it?"

"Whatever." Damian growled.

"We'll try not to be gone too long." Dick promised, "So, don't kill each other while we're gone. And no checking your phone, got it?" He pointed at Damian, "This is a vacation, it's meant to be relaxing, not depressing."

Jason didn't wait for Damian's assent, instead just dragged Dick out of the room and shut the door behind them.

Damian sighed deeply and went into the bedroom to grab things to get ready for bed since he figured that Dick and Jason wouldn't be back for awhile. He grabbed his pyjamas, his toothbrush, some toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and soap before returning to the main room. Tim was still working on his laptop. "You have until I come back out." He told Tim, even though he knew that he wasn't listening, then went to the bathroom.

He looked around the bathroom and decided that it seemed clean enough for a one night stay. Despite the last minute booking, they had gotten a room at a decent, well maintained hotel. He supposed that was one of the perks of being a Wayne.

He set his things down on the counter and then went over to start the shower, putting his hand under the spray to test the water pressure, which wasn't fantastic, but wasn't terrible either. With that settled, he started to work on removing the clothes he'd been in all day, folding them one by one and resting them on the counter until he was just down to his briefs.

Once he was mostly undressed, he picked up his toothbrush and ran it under the sink, then put toothpaste on it. His mouth tasted like the coffee he had this morning, stale on the back of his teeth, chai tea, and that cookie Tim had given him. All together, the tastes of the day were entirely unpleasant and he was eager to scrub them off his teeth and tongue. As he was doing so, the door opened. He turned away from the counter and glared at Tim.

"Oh, hey." Tim didn't look like he was even still in the land of the living. "Didn't know you were in here. Can I get some water?" He gestured to the sink behind Damian with a little plastic cup he had in his hand.

Damian took a step back and scowled around the tooth brush, "The shower is running, Drake, how did you not realize someone was in here." He snapped, scrubbing furiously at his teeth.

Tim blinked, "I guess I didn't hear it." He said, filling his cup up under the tap and then _not fucking leaving._

"You know," Damian took his place back at the sink, "I am positive that there are water bottles in the minibar."

"Yeah," Said Tim, taking a sip from his water, "But those cost money."

"Money that we have." Damian spit in the sink and then ran the tap, ducking his head beneath it to get a mouthful of water. He swished it around in his mouth before spitting again and then cleaning off the tooth brush. "Now. Leave, Drake. I need to take a shower."

Tim seemed to just now notice Damian's state of undress, and a blush coloured his pale cheeks, "Shit, sorry." He mumbled, taking a step back, "I didn't notice." He paused then, and then he was smiling like something was amusing.

"What are you grinning at?" Damian snapped, feeling irritated.

"Are those Superman briefs?" Tim asked.

Damian looked down, and then it was his turn to blush, "Oh. Uh... Jon gave them to me as a gag gift on my birthday." He said, before feeling angry, "Stop looking at me and get out!" He shouted, advancing on Tim.

Tim took another step back, out of the bathroom, "I'm sorry, Dami, I didn't mean-." He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Damian pointedly slammed the door in his face. The lock clicked a second later.

Damian leaned his back against the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden swirl of emotions that were making his skin feel itchy with the energy he'd pent up all day while he was in the car. It buzzed through his veins and wound him tighter than he had been. He wanted to go out that night and run around the rooftops, but they weren't in a large city, and he would definitely be noticed by the locals if he donned his Robin costume (or even if he didn't for that matter) and flipped across the town.

That wouldn't be ideal for anyone, so instead of doing that, he straightened out from the door and kicked off his briefs, hoping the heat from the shower would uncoil his muscles. Beneath the spray of water that was just on the right side of too hot, he focused on trying to relax his muscles, and just stood there for about five minutes before he actually got around to the cleaning part. He washed his hair, and while the conditioner was absorbing into his hair, he took the time to scrub himself down and rinsed away the soap and conditioner.

When he turned off the water off and got out of the shower, he still felt like a tightly coiled spring. He grabbed one of the towels and roughly scrubbed his hair dry before drying off the rest of his body and then pulling the boxers he'd grabbed to sleep in so quickly he nearly popped one of the seams. He pulled his tank top on over his head more carefully, but he still heard the stitches strain a little.

He stared at himself in the mirror for a good minute, clenching and unclenching his jaw, still holding onto the vain hope of relaxing, but having no success. He snatched up his dirty clothes and bathing things and walked back out into the main room. Tim was back at his computer with his feet tucked up underneath him on the chair, staring blankly into the void and not actually getting any work done. He had changed into a large sweater that was most definitely Jason's at one point and soft-looking flannel pants that were too long for him, so he had, at least, done that. But Damian wasn't supposed to let him sit at his computer all night.

Damian threw his dirty shirt at Tim and it it hit the back of his head, causing Tim to jolt forward and back into reality. He took a second to regain himself before turning around and glaring at Damian, "What the hell was that for?" He snapped.

"I am done in the bathroom, and therefore it is time for you to turn off your computer." Damian said, ignoring Tim's glare.

"Just because you say so doesn't mean I have to do ti." Tim replied before turning back to his computer and actually appearing to read the letters this time.

"Drake, you are clearly exhausted. Put the computer away before I throw it away." Damian snapped, crossing the floor and reaching over Tim to close the computer. Tim grabbed his wrist in a painfully tight grip.

"You almost sound concerned, Baby Bat." Tim sneered.

Damian scoffed and pulled his wrist away forcefully, "DO not flatter yourself. Grayson left me in charge of making sure you get rest, so I am making sure you get rest." He was quicker this time and got the laptop closed.

Tim scowled at Damian, "I'll be fine. I was just trying to finish something." He tried to open the laptop back up, but Damian took it and then darted out of reach. "Damian, come on." Tim said, standing up, "Give it back."

"No. It is time for you to get ready to go to sleep." Damian said, using his most commanding tone, and pointing towards the bathroom with his free hand.

Tim arched an eyebrow and then snorted, "You're not scary. Give me my laptop back."

"No." Damian shook his head, "We are sharing a bed. Go shower, and then you can have it back if you promise to lie down."

"Come again?" Tim asked, arching his eyebrows, "Did you just say we're sharing a bed?"

"Yes. Were you not listening when Grayson told us so?" Damian's lips curled in vague amusement.

"Why are we sharing a bed?"

"Because there was only one room available to be booked, and it has two bedrooms. So, we are sharing a bed."

Tim looked about as pleased with this development as Damian had been. He huffed, "Fine. I'll go take a shower, but then you're giving me that laptop back." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed his bag and stormed off to the bathroom.

 

Once Damian heard the shower start, he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs before reaching forward and stretching his spine out. He exhaled as he reached forward until he felt the pull of muscled at the small of his back, then held the position to the count of thirty. He fell into a routine of stretches, turning his focus to that as a last ditch effort to unwind.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but as he kicked his legs up into a Sirsasana pose from a Down Dog pose, he saw Tim's legs, and promptly fell out of the pose. He landed on his back and groaned in pain, "Fuck." He arched his back a little before settling more comfortably to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him.

Eventually, he tilted his head back and looked up at Tim. His hair was hanging wet around his face, and he hadn't put his fucking sweater back on, so he was just standing above Damian in his boxers. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I can see your stomach." Tim said instead of answering.

Damian looked down his body to see that his tank top had, in fact, ridden up his chest, exposing his stomach and the light dusting of dark curls that formed a trail from his navel down beneath the hem of his boxers. "So you can." Damian rolled onto his stomach before standing up and pulling the shirt down, "And I can see yours. Because you are not wearing a shit. Problem?"

Tim looked down quickly, then back up at Damian, "Uh... No, I just... Didn't look earlier."

"What?" Damian arched an eyebrow and Tim's face turned a satisfying shade of red.

"I-I mean... uhhh..." Obviously, Tim had no intelligent response.

"Pervert." Damian scoffed before pointing to the bedroom, "Go lie down."

Titus walked into the bedroom and plopped down at the base of the bed in response to Damian's command.

Tim recovered and glared at Damian through his bangs, "Don't talk to me like a dog, Damian." He snapped, "Give me my laptop."

"You promised you would lie down. If you go to bed, I will bring you the laptop. Now go."

Tim's jaw clenched but he turned and went into the room. He sat down against the head of the bed and arched a questioning eyebrow at Damian, and suddenly Damian was thinking about other things that he used to do with Jon and his throat went dry.

He turned briskly and grabbed Tim's laptop. He was about to be sharing a fucking bed with Tim, he didn't need to be thinking about his exes hands on him right now, or the way his-  _shut up shut up shut up!_

He was standing at the foot of the bed and he had no memory of walking there.

"Damian? Are you feeling okay? You look a little flushed." Tim slid out of bed, sounding genuinely concerned.

Damian bristled at the tone and the implication, and instead of responding appropriately, he snapped at Tim, "Put a fucking shirt on, Drake. We are not sharing a bed half dressed."

Tim stared at Damian for a moment before walking closer, stopping in front of him and grasping the laptop between them, "Damian..." Tim started.

If asked why the fuck he did what he did in that moment, Damian would blame misplaced energy, or projecting, or anything that got him out of answering the question. He braced one of his hands on Tim's shoulder and reached upward, clumsily pressing their mouths together.

Tim went sort of stiff where he stood. Damian couldn't hold the position on his toes for very long, wound up with nervous energy as he was, so he fell back onto the flats of his feet before taking a step back, leaving the laptop in Tim's hands.

"Damian-" Tim started, but Damian cut in quickly.

"Maybe I should sleep on the couch." He turned his back to Tim and made it about three steps before Tim grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.

Damian began to raise his hands to deflect any sort of attack, but Tim's mouth was back on his, moving this time. Damian took a heartbeat to catch up before he responded, wrapping his arms around Tim's neck and tilting his head to get a better angle.

Kissing had never been one of Damian's favourite things. He'd never been very good at it, and neither had Jon, because the only people they'd ever kissed had been each other. Kissing Tim was an entirely different experience than kissing Jon, because Tim seemed to have some idea what he was doing. He moved his lips against Damian's in a way that made Damian's mouth tingle.

Tim pulled away a moment later and laughed softly, resting his forehead against Damian's, "That sucked."

Damian pulled back further and gave Tim an affronted look, "Well, then it is a good thing that we have no obligation to do it again." He said, removing his arms from around Tim's neck and stepping away from the man.

Tim reached out for him with free hands, and Damian noticed that he'd dropped the laptop on the bed. Tim's fingers closed around Damian's wrists and he reeled Damian back against him, "Didn't say we should stop. Just implied you need practice."

Damian pulled his wrists free again and glared up at Tim, "Fine."

"Sit on the bed, though. I'm going to get a kink in my neck if I have to lean over you like this." Tim stepped back towards the bed and picked up the laptop to move it to the nightstand. Damian hesitated for a few seconds before he walked over and sat down.

Tim sat beside him and Damian fidgeted with the hem of his tank top, feeling uncharacteristically nervous all of the sudden. He nearly flinched away when he felt Tim's hands on his face, turning his head and tilting his jaw. Damian looked up at him and then frowned, "What are you waiting for?" He snapped, because Tim was just staring down at him.

"Nothing." Tim leaned down and sealed is mouth over Damian's again. Damian kept his hands in his lap that time, let Tim cup his jaw and tilt his head to guide the kiss into a better angle. When he pulled back after about thirty seconds, Damian leaned after him but Tim stopped him, "Hold on."

Damian huffed softly and arched an eyebrow at Tim. A moment later, he found himself on his back with Tim looming over him. He exhaled slowly and tried to sit up, but Tim put his hand on his chest, "Stay there." Tim shifted and used his knee to push Damian's legs apart enough for him to settle between them. He leaned down and Damian leaned up to meet him in the middle. Their noses bumped and Tim laughed softly before tilting his head and slotting their lips together.

The kiss deepened and Damian felt Tim's tongue against the seam of his lip. He parted them more on instinct than on thought, and moaned when Tim pushed his tongue into his mouth. It was weird and wet and sloppy and Damian pressed up into it further. When Tim pulled his tongue back into his own mouth, Damian followed, and Tim gently nipped and sucked at his tongue. Damian moaned again and his hips arched a little.

Tim pulled away and kept Damian down with a hand on his sternum. Damian knew his face was flushed, could feel the warmth there, and could hear his own breath coming out in harsh pants. He licked his lips and dropped his head back on the mattress, "Was that any better?" He asked once he felt like he could form words.

Tim chuckled breathlessly above him, "Yeah, it was. You're a fast learner." He leaned in again, but Jason loudly announcing that they were back with food brought him up short.

Damian reached up and tangled his fingers in Tim's hair to tug him back down, "Ignore them."

"They're going to come in here if we don't go out there." Tim followed the guidance of Damian's hand and kissed him again despite his protest. Damian used a little bit of teeth, tugging on Tim's lower lip and preened at finally getting a noise out of the other man. One of his hands slid down from Tim's hair to the bare skin of his back, down his spine and- then there was a knock on the door.

"Guys, time to eat. Get up." Dick called through the door and Titus started to bark.

Damian and Tim separated and Damian huffed. "We will be out in a minute." He called, releasing Tim and allowing the man to get up and off of him. Damian sat up himself and ran his fingers through his hair. "You should put a shirt on." He told Tim before standing up and going out into the main room to eat whatever Jason and Dick had brought back.

 

The following morning, they left the hotel with Tim in the driver's seat again. Damian hooked his phone to the aux cord before Tim had a chance and Tim glared at him as he cued up something tolerable. Damian smiled back and settled into the seat with his back against the door.

"What, no feet out the window today? Decided to give my anxiety a break?" Tim asked.

"Something like that." Damian replied with a bit of a smile. He stretched his legs out and rested his feet on Tim's lap, settling comfortably when Tim didn't move them, and instead rested on of his hands across Damian's ankle.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are great. love them. they give me inspiration.
> 
> thanks, all, for taking the time to read!


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